Wire-holding attachment for wire-clippers

ABSTRACT

A wire-holding device, used with a pair of wire-cutting pliers or &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;wire-clipper,&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; functions to prevent the escape of clipped wire ends. The device has one portion of narrow U-shaped configuration that frictionally secures the device to one lever of the cutting pliers. The remaining portion forms an extension generally adjacent to the lever to which it is secured, including the cutting edge surface thereof. The portion of the device adjacent to the cutting edge surface includes a lower knife edge, whereby the clipped wire ends are held by being gripped between this knife edge and the other cutting edge surface of the pliers.

United States Patent Brown Sept. 30, 1975 WIRE-HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR Prim/1r E.\'an1iner-Al Lawrence Smith W[RE-CLIPPERS Assistant E.\'mniner--J. C. Peters Inventor: Frank R. Brown, Clinton St Attorney. Agent, or Firn1-Mattern, Ware & Davis Antrim. NH. 03440 22 1 FilCdZ July 8, 1974 [571 ABSTRACT [21 1 App]. NOJ 486.476 A wirc-holding device, used with a pair of wire-cutting phcrs or w1re-cl1ppcr, functions to prevent the escape of clipped wire ends. The device has one portion [52] [1.8. C. 30/124 of narrow U haped configuration that frictionally e- [51] Int. Cl. t B26B 17/04 cures the device to one lcvcr of the cutting pliers. The [58] Field Of Search 30/l24, 134, 135 remining portion forms an extension generally adjacent to the lever to which it is secured, including the [56] Ref ren s Cit d cutting edge surface thereof. The portion of the device UNITED STATEs PATENTS adjacent to the cutting edge surface includes a lower 2.323497 7/1943 Strout 30/124 knife Cdgc, whereby the Clipped wire ends are held by 3126.628 3/1964 Popek 30 134 being gripped between this knife edge and the other 3.763560 10/1973 Milklill) 30 124 t g g rf of the p 3 842 500 10/1974 Cnsscl 30/l24 5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures us. Patent Se t. 30,1975 3,908,268

WIRE-HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR WIRE-CLIPPERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a wire-holding device used with wire-cutting pliers to prevent the escape of clipped wire ends. It has long been recognized that wire-cutting pliers cause clipped wire ends to be physically ejected upon completion of the cutting process. Such wire ends can be hazardous to the person using the cutting pliers, as well as to nearby persons and electronic wiring and devices when wire cutting is performed in close quarters.

Although cutting pliers have incorporated a doubleended spring member to hold the clipped ends of a cut wire, as in US. Pat. No. 2,938,266, such techniques require the wireholding device to be integrally placed within the hinge mechanism of the cutting plier. Furthermore, the functioning of such prior art wire holding devices is based on the physical embracing contact of the wire end between two ends of the'spring member.

The present invention however can be readily attached to or removed from wire-cutting pliers and functions by gripping the wire end between the knife edge of the invention and one cutting edge surface of the wire-cutting pliers.

SUMMARY- OF THE INVENTION The wire-holding devices of this invention achieve the desirable objective of blocking the ejection of clipped off ends of wire by providing a narrow U- shaped member to clampingly or frictionally secure the wire-holding device to one lever of the cutting pliers, a curvilinear finger emanating from said U-shaped member and adjacent to the cutting end portion of the wire-cutting pliers lever, and a blade member approximately equal in length to the cutting edge surface of the cutting pliers, said blade member having a lower knife edge.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a wire-holding device to be used with wire-cutting pliers capable of holding the clipped end of a wire to the wire cutting pliers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wireholding device of small, simple and inexpensive construction whose use will neither impair the wire-cutting ability of the cutting pliers nor the ease and flexibility of use of such pliers.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a wire-holding device that does not obscure the vision of the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wireholding device that can be readily attached to and removed from a wire-cutting plier.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of wire-cutting pliers showing the wire-holding device attached to one lever of the pliers;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the wire-holding device;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the wire-holding device:

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the wire-holding device;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the wire-holding device taken along line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a digrammatic enlarged sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. I through the front portion of the pliers cutting jaws with the jaws in the closed position;

FIG. 7 is a similar diagrammatic sectional view of the same assembly shown in FIG. 6 depicting a wire just prior to cutting;

FIG. 8 is a similar diagrammatic sectional view of the same device depicting a wire end after cutting, held to the cutting pliers.

FIG. 9 is a partial rear perspective view of an alternate version of the wire-holding device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The preferred embodiment of the invention 10 illustrated in the drawings incorporates a generally U- shap ed member 20, a curvilinear finger 21 and a blade member 22. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the U-shaped member 20 secures the wire-holding device 10 to one lever 11 of the cutting pliers lll2 by resilient gripping engagement of lever 11 between two leaves 23 and 24 of member 20. The forward portions of the levers 11 and 12 terminate in the pliersjaws 13 and 14 respectively, said jaws having cutting edge surfaces 15 and 16 and cutting edges 15A and 16A respectively.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the upper leaf 23 of the U-shaped member 20 is of a generally rectangular configuration, whereas the facing lower leaf 2 4 is of a generally trapezoidal configuration with its forward edge forming an oblique angle with the curvilinear finger of the wire-holding device 21. This lower leaf configuration allows the pliers jaws l3 and 14 to close without lever 12 making physical contact with lower leaf 24. Although the lower leaf 24 is shown in such a configuration, it should be appreciated that this configuration may be varied with wire-cutting pliers depending on the shearing overlap, if any, of levers 11 and 12 when the pliers jaws are closed.

As seen in FIG. 9, the curvilinear finger 21 may be of a double concave configuration so as to impart structural support rigidity for the blade portion 22, as well as remaining in close proximity with the forward edge of the lever 11, and extending past the pivot joining levers l1 and 12 while avoiding any interference with their free pivoting, wire-clipping movement.

As can be seen in FIG. I, the blade member 22 is approximately equal in length to the underlying pliers jaw cutting edge surface 15 and preferably has a lower knife edge 26. As seen in FIG. 9, blade member 22 may be formed with an arched cross-section for additional stiffness.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 diagrammatically illustrate the novel operation of the wire-holding device of this invention. It can be seen in FIG. 6 that the lower knife edge 26 of device 10, positioned adjacent to cutting edge surface 15 on lever 11, allows the pliers jaw cutting edge surface 15 and cutting edge 16A to come in physical contact without the lower knife edge 26 making physical contact with cutting edge surface 16. It is thus apparent that the cutting edge surface 16 will not be harmed by the blade portion 22 of the wire-holding device.

FIG. 7 illustrates the position'of the lower knife edge 26 as the pliers cutting edges 15A and 16A make physical contact with a wire 27. As can be seen, the lower cutting edge 26 of device 10 also makes physical contact with the wire 27. As the pliers jaws l3 and 14 close, cutting through wire 27, blade portion 22 is resiliently deflected and raised along a path substantially parallel to pliersjaw cutting edge surface 15 due to the position of cut wire end 28. Since the wireholding device is composed of a material with structural resilieney, such as 0.025 inch thick S.A.E. 1090 steel. heat treated to 47-50 Rockwell C hardness for example, the movement of the blade portion 22 imparts an increasing reaction force against the cut wire end 28, and thus grips the wire end against pliers jaw cutting edge surface 16. The cut wire end 28 will thus remain between the lower knife edge 26 and pliersjaw cutting edge surface 16 until pliers jaws l3 and 14 are opened.

The advantages of the novel wire-holding device are thus apparent. It is a small and simple article that is easily attachable to and removable from wire-cutting pliers which is able to hold clipped wire ends to such pliers until the user opens the wire-cutting jaws. Furthermore, the wire-holding device performs its function without interfering with the wire-cutting ability of the pliers nor the ease and flexibility of use of such pliers.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

l. A removable wire-holding device for use with wire-cutting pliers having first and second pivotally in terconnected levers, the levers having forward opposing-face cutting edge surfaces and rearward portions comprising:

A. a base portion of U-shaped configuration resiliently gripping the rearward portion of the first lever-of the wire-cutting pliers so as to allow removal ofthe device from the pliers;

B. a curvilinear finger member projecting from the base portion in a substantially adjacent configuration to the first lever; and

C. a blade member projecting from the other end of the finger member a. of length approximately equal to the cutting length of the cutting edge surface of said first lever,

b. with an edge thereof projecting toward the cutting edge surface of the second lever of said pliers forming a space therebetween, when said cutting edge surfaces are closed. less than the wire diameter of the wire to be cut;

whereby said edge resiliently urges each severed wire end toward said second lever until said cutting edge surfaces are separated by the user.

2. A wire-holding device as defined in claim 1 where said finger extension is of arched cross-sectional single curvature configuration.

3. A wire-holding device as defined in claim 1 where said finger extension is of double curvature configuration.

4. A wire-holding device as defined in claim 1 where said blade member includes a lower knife edge facing the cutting edge surface of the second lever.

5. A wire-holding device as defined in claim 1 where said blade member is of arched transverse crossseetional configuration. 

1. A removable wire-holding device for use with wire-cutting pliers having first and second pivotally interconnected levers, the levers having forward opposing-face cutting edge surfaces and rearward portions comprising: A. a base portion of U-shaped configuration resiliently gripping the rearward portion of the first lever of the wire-cutting pliers so as to allow removal of the device from the pliers; B. a curvilinear finger member projecting from the base portion in a substantially adjacent configuration to the first lever; and C. a blade member projecting from the other end of the finger member a. of length approximately equal to the cutting length of the cutting edge surface of said first lever, b. with an edge thereof projecting toward the cutting edge surface of the second lever of said pliers forming a space therebetween, when said cutting edge surfaces are closed, less than the wire diameter of the wire to be cut; whereby said edge resiliently urges each severed wire end toward said second lever until said cutting edge surfaces are separated by the user.
 2. A wire-holding device as defined in claim 1 where said finger extension is of arched cross-sectional single curvature configuration.
 3. A wire-holding device as defined in claim 1 where said finger extension is of double curvature configuration.
 4. A wire-holding device as defined in claim 1 where said blade member includes a lower knife edge facing the cutting edge surface of the second lever.
 5. A wire-holding device as defined in claim 1 where said blade member is of arched transverse cross-sectional configuration. 